


The Promised Gift

by kiwisandwich (panconkiwi)



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: (probably too much emphasis on the enemies part), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Candlenights, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Gen, M/M, Rating for Language, TAZ Candlenights Exchange 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:54:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28926864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/panconkiwi/pseuds/kiwisandwich
Summary: Taako is not one of those people who go gift shopping on Candlenights Eve. Actually, he's not much of a present giver. So why is he running all over Neverwinter, trying to find a sold out toy?Because Angus, that's why.
Relationships: Angus McDonald & Taako, Kravitz & Angus McDonald, Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 38
Collections: The Candlenights Zone (2020 Exchange)





	The Promised Gift

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alternatereality42](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alternatereality42/gifts).



> Happy Candlenights! Sorry for the wait, I hope you enjoy this silly Candlenights tale!
> 
> Title is from Jingle All The Way, as in, I translated the Latinoamerican Spanish translation of the title. I didn't even know it was called that in the original. We all learned something today!
> 
> Eternally grateful to Devin (boldlygoingnowherefast) for betareading!

_ Ah, Candlenights, _ Taako thought,  _ truly the most wonderful time of the year,  _ as he kicked the car in front of him and pointed at the stoplight. "ARE YOU FUCKING BLIND? IT'S ON RED, ASSHOLE."

The car honked at him. He could hear some curses coming from the driver's seat, but Taako was already walking to the other side of the street, his middle finger up. Fucking drivers, people didn't know how to behave on the streets of this city.

And today, of course, all the bad vibes multiplied with the rush of last day shopping for Candlenights. Some people really liked to make  _ their own _ lack of planning everyone else's fault. Not Taako, of course, he was above all of that.

" _ Easy to say," _ Lup said on the other end of the line, _ "when you never get presents for anyone. _ "

Taako scoffed. "I consider my cooking present enough, thank you very much. Or would you rather I show up two hours late with toys and candy?"

" _ Hey, I'm not complaining about the food _ ."

( _ "Neither am I! _ ")

" _ Neither is Barry _ ."

"Good, because I have a very thorough plan for tonight and you're gonna eat everything, whether you like it or not."

The line at the coffeeshop advanced, and Taako finally had a good view of the menu. He pondered his order, like he wasn't gonna get his favorite anyway.

Lup laughed. " _ Of course, of course. Did you remember to account for our new guests? Angus doesn't eat gluten _ ."

"Yeah, yeah," Taako dismissed her. Ooh, they still had pumpkin spice lattes. "Kid's a pain in the ass even when I'm not teaching him."

" _ You're so mean to him! And to think he's always asking about you. _ "

"Of course he does, that little ass kisser."

Taako actually liked Angus too, though he wouldn’t be caught dead admitting it, least of all to Lup. His sister's neighbour was a funny kid, the kind who still called adults 'sir' and dressed like an eighty year old. He also had talent for magic, which was why Taako was tutoring him.

" _ He got you a present, you know?" _ Lup said, the guilt tripping tone in her voice not so subtle to Taako. " _ Knocked on our door yesterday with a nicely wrapped package to put under our tree for tonight." _

Taako sighed. "You don't say."

" _ He seemed very excited, said he's never stayed up on Candlenights Eve to open presents. Too bad you don't have a gift for him in exchange _ ."

"I do, it's called dinner."

" _ Candlenights is different for kids, they still believe in the magic of the season _ ."

Taako wanted to argue no one over five still believed in that stuff, but… Dammit, the kid really went and got some dude he only saw once every two weeks a gift. Why did he have to be so cute about everything?

" _ Besides _ ," Lup went on, " _ Mr. McDonald might be coming too _ ."

"Might?"

" _ He's a very busy man, you know the type _ .  _ Rich and successful _ ."

"I'm not cooking extra tonight, if he doesn't show up I'll have you eat his share, and he can mail me a check for the emotional distress."

" _ I'm ninety percent sure he'll come. Well, I hope he does, Angus has been pretty bummed out about it lately. My point is, I bet he'll be impressed by how well you get along with his son. He's your type, have I mentioned it? _ "

Taako perked up at that, though he didn't let that show through the call. "Only a million times."

" _ He's a real catch _ ," Lup said.

( _ "A major hottie _ ," Barry said.)

"Tell Barry he can marry him if he likes him so much."

In the end, Taako decided on his usual: a triple shot White Mocha Cappuccino. He would need the calories for all the work tonight. The line moved until Taako was just one patron away from his order.

"Alright, I gotta hang up. I'll be at your place at seven."

Lup hummed. " _ I thought you were done with work for today?" _

"I still have to, uh, get all the fresh produce for dinner."

" _ You mean the fish and vegetables? Barry took care of that earlier today, I remember sending you a text about it." _

"I'm talking about other produce."

" _ You're getting the kid a gift, aren't you?" _

"Yes, I'm getting him a stupid gift, are you happy?"

" _ Very! Here's a hint: he's really into that wrestler, Jeff Angel." _

"Yeah, yeah, thanks for emotionally manipulating me."

And she hung up. Taako sighed, to think he was  _ forced  _ to last minute shopping like a common loser. At least he had time, and there had to be some merch of that Jeff dude somewhere.

His turn to order came, and he decided to put all those thoughts aside. It was Taako time. "One venti triple shot White Mocha Cappuccino," and then, to reward himself, "with extra chocolate sprinkles on top." He was about to be a good person, after all.

"Sorry, we're out of white chocolate shots," the cashier said.

Taako's world crumbled down. Already? It was only four o'clock! How-?!

He took a deep breath and calmed himself. No use in taking it out on this poor teen.

"Then I'll have a pumpkin spice latte."

"I'm sorry, we don't sell those until next season."

He wanted to scream.

"How about a caramel latte? You have those?"

"Right up, sir! Anything else I can get you?"

Taako sighed. "Triple shot of caramel. And add chocolate sprinkles."

Taako finished his order and stood next to the counter, trying to not be bummed out about this major setback. One would think the Universe would reward him for his good intentions.

"White Mocha for Kravitz?" the barista called.

Some dude dressed all in black approached the counter and took the blend. Taako stared daggers into him. He had been just before Taako in the line.

So, that was a rough start, but he eventually got his coffee too, and the sugary taste of caramel and cream cheered him enough to decide the day wasn't ruined yet.

Taako sipped his cup on his way out, thinking about his next course of action. Where did they sell wrestler merchandise, anyway? Maybe one of those geeky stores? Taako was sure there was something nerdy like that at the mall.

He hailed a cab absentmindedly, and was surprised when one pulled over next to him, just a second later.

_ Well, that's efficient… _

But then he noticed someone else had been hailing a cab just behind him. A tall, dark, and handsome man, holding a White Mocha Cappuccino.

Before the man even lowered his arm, Taako ran for the passenger's seat and entered the taxi. He pretended not to notice the other man outside the window, looking shocked at the taxi sniping.

Was it petty to take revenge on someone over coffee? Yes. Did Taako feel bad about it? No.

***

The geek store was more crowded than Taako expected. Again, Candlenights Eve, yadda yadda, but how many nerds were there anyway? Surely there would be more popular gifts to find.

"Actually, Wrestling is considered the most popular sport after football, with over ten million-"

"Yeah, I literally don't care. Do you have this Jeff Angel dude or not?"

The young clerk didn't seem bothered by Taako's dismissal. Or if she was, she didn't show it. She was a woman working in a store for nerds, after all. Probably had a very thick skin. "Right this way, sir," she said.

She took Taako to a corner of the store with an assortment of wrestling paraphernalia. Posters, shirts, even a championship belt.

"You're in luck, we still have a few units of Jeff Angel's figma: fully posable, comes with seven faceplates, five hand poses, and three pairs of wings, all in its own display stand."

Taako whistled. "Hachi-machi. Toys have changed a lot since I was a kid."

"Oh, this is not a toy. It's a collector's item."

"Potato, tomato, so how much is it?"

"Three hundred."

Taako wished he still had his coffee so he could do a spit take. "NOPE. I'm not paying that for a bunch of plastic."

"Vinyl."

"Still don't care!" Taako groaned. "I don't even like this kid that much. Three fucking hundred…"

"Like I said, this is not a toy. It's not recommended for people under sixteen, so…"

"Listen, I'm clearly not invested in this as much as you are. I'm shopping on Candlenights Eve, for Pete's sake, I'm just looking for something with this bird dude's face for a ten years old."

"Well, I'm afraid we're a specialized store for collectors, so most of our merchandise is aimed at older fans. If you want more age appropriate items, you might have to look on the toy aisle of Fantasy Costco."

Taako perked up at that. "They sell this stuff in normal people stores?"

"Like I said, Wrestling is  _ actually _ popular."

Taako looked at his phone. He still had two hours before Lup's dinner.

"Alright, it's been a pleasure doing business with you, but I have greener pastures to travel."

"We didn't do any business, but thanks!"

Taako waved her off, holding the door for an incoming client, just because he was in a good mood.

"Ah, thank you," the man said.

"You're very welc…"

It was the guy from the taxi line. He glared as recognition dawned on him.

Taako just ran before the consequences of his actions could catch him. He was pretty good at it.

***

"Jeff Angel? Yeah, we sell those toys."

Taako sighed in relief. "Thank god, my dude, I was starting to think I was stuck in a fool's errand. I'll take one, then."

"Oh, we ran out of those last week."

"What?!" Taako breathed in. "Could've said that first, my guy!"

The halfling clerk blinked slowly, like the mere idea was foreign to him. "Oh, ha ha, that's right." Yeah, this guy was high as balls.

Taako looked around him. Well, he was in a Fantasy Costco already, why not find something else Angus would like here? From where he stood, he could see the kitchen aisle. Oh, a set of measuring cups! He'd have to check those later. On his right was the sports aisle too, maybe he could get Angus a ball? Wait, no, those were pet supplies. Eh, same difference. He was, like, nine, probably wouldn't tell the difference. Or maybe gardening supplies?

Yeah, Taako didn't actually know what Angus liked. Truth was, he barely paid attention to him outside of class. It wasn't his fault the kid talked so much! If it weren't for Lup he wouldn't even know about this Jeff Angel dude.

"Ugh, what am I gonna do?" Taako groaned. "I refuse to go all Promised Gift for this kid, but I don't even know what else he likes."

"I mean, if he likes Jeff Angel he probably likes Jess the Beheader."

Taako perked up. "Really?"

"Yeah, she has been the top wrestler for the past four seasons."

"That'll do! I would like a Jess the Beheaded, please."

"We're out of those too."

"THE WHY DID YOU…"  _ Deep breaths, Taako, deep breaths. _ "You need to stop being high at work, my dude."

"Oh, shit, is it obvious?"

"Only from a mile away."

Taako sighed. He gave up. He officially gave up. He still had to be at Lup's in a little over an hour, and he wasn't about to check every Fantasy Costco in the city for…

"I'm just a little desperate here," a pretentious voice said some feet away. "I've been looking everywhere for this doll."

"I could check up in the system for any leftover stock, but wrestling figures have been the top sale this season."

Taako's ear twitched.

"If you could do that, I'd be eternally grateful," the pretentious guy said. Hey, Taako knew this guy. He was the one who stole his coffee, and then Taako stole his taxi, and then…

The man turned around and Taako ducked. Oof, close call.

"Well, sir, it seems you're in luck!" The clerk said. "We still have some units of the Jeff Angel Turbo Doll on our fifth Avenue store."

Taako stood up.

"Ah! Thank you so…" the pretentious man trailed off. "You again?!"

"Sorry, I would love to chat, but I have a Jeff Angel doll to buy."

And Taako ran for it, everyone else be damned. He was gonna get this gift, he was gonna make Angus happy, he would score with his mysterious hot dad, and Candlenights would be saved!

"Out of my way!" He yelled as he pushed customers around. Why was everyone buying today?! Didn't they know Taako had important shit to do?! He elbowed some people until he finally reached the escalator…

And it was out of order.

"Are you serious now?! How am I supposed to go down?!"

"Sir, stairs are located at the end of the hall," a very stressed guard said to him, pointing in the direction he just came from.

Taako groaned. "Great, stairs. Just what I needed today!"

He elbowed his way out of the crowd and then ran the way he came from. The only clue to where the stairs were was a small and pitiful exit sign pointing to the side, which Taako definitely missed the first time he walked by. Lucky for him, next to the stairs was an elevator, just about to close its doors.

"Wait!" Taako yelled. "Hold the…!"

From inside the elevator, the coffee thief looked at him.

And he smiled.

The elevator door closed after that.

"UGH!" Taako screamed. Then, not before cursing himself, opened the emergency door and walked down the stairs. He was just on the second floor, how much could it be?

Two floors and So. Much. Pain later, Taako collapsed on the outside of the mall just in time to see the coffee thief enter a taxi.

He did some quick math in his head: the fifth Avenue was five minutes by car and twenty minutes by foot. But that wasn't accounting for the time it would take him to find a taxi. But he was already tired. But traffic outside was unbearable. But he didn't want to walk. But he had to get that toy before the coffee asshole! He was already sweaty and his hair ruined, why the fuck not!

He made it to the Fantasy Costco parking lot in fifteen minutes -SUCK IT, TRAFFIC-, but he couldn't go on. Running in below zero weather was not the smartest thing he'd done that day. When was even the last time he exercised? Maybe he could lie on the floor for five minutes…

A figure in black ran past him.

"Did you already get your toy?" The coffee thief yelled mockingly.

"Oh, it's on, motherfucker!"

Taako ran, with all the pain in his soul he ran, and somehow he reached the asshole right at the entrance of Fantasy Costco, where sitting on the display among other toys laid an unopened Turbo Jeff Action Doll, taunting him.

The doors opened and Taako pushed the other guy aside to enter first, then, on a whim took a turn to the left. On his way he shoved a shelf of chocolates just to be a nuisance, and by the sound of the coffee asshole yelling, "You gotta be kidding me!", it worked.

Aisle after aisle passed by, canned goods, cereal, sweets, Taako watched them until he hit a dead end at the alcoholic beverages, and only then he realized he had taken the wrong direction and toys were on the other side. He turned around, and to his dismay, the coffee asshole, who was still twenty feet behind, noticed he was in the lead now.

The way back was much of the same, except Taako almost tripped on a bunch of chocolates  _ someone _ had thrown around. He looked up, and saw the coffee guy take a turn.

He found the toy aisle! Taako ran faster than he ever had.

"Come on, come on, where are you, Jeff…" the coffee guy was muttering when he got tackled by Taako.

"That toy is mine, you coffee criminal!"

"What?! Get off me!"

Taako got up and looked around the shelves. "Where are you, you stupid bird!"

And then, on the corner of his eyes, in the tackiest denim-textured font:

**Turbo Jeff Action Doll**

**_His wings move!_ **

An empty shelf.

Taako groaned. "So this is it? I ran all the way here and there are no Jeffs left?"

The other man finally got up, dusted his clothes, and said, "there's still one left."

And then he ran, like a fucking coward.

Taako got up and followed before even realizing what he meant. Only when they got to the front of the store he remembered: the window! Yes! There was still a chance!

The coffee man ran up to a store clerk and said, still out of air. "Hi! Sorry to bother you. About the window display-"

"OUT OF MY WAY, HOTBOY." Taako shoved him aside and pointed at the window display. "Give me that Jeff Angel doll!"

"Excuse me, I got here first!"

"I don't care! I said it first so it's mine!"

"You interrupted me!" He turned to the clerk. "Listen, I have a son-"

Taako scoffed. "Oh, sure you do!"

"It's the truth! I have a son whom I love very much, and nothing would make him happier than that Jeff doll!"

"If you love him so much, why did you wait until the last minute to get him a present."

The coffee guy stammered. "I'm a very busy man!"

"GENTLEMEN."

Taako and the enemy shut up. The store clerk looked both of them up with his big yellow eyes, and smiled in that way retail workers did when they considered murder. "All display boxes are empty, we sold this store's last unit of the Jeff Turbo Action Doll ten minutes ago."

And he left to help other, less important customers.

Welp, this was why Taako never tried to be nice.

The coffee guy fell to the floor. "This is it. I'm the worst dad in the world."

"Yep, sucks to be your kid."

The man glared knives at Taako.

"What, you wanted affirmation or something? I just ran across the city for a stupid sold out toy, and I'm sold out of nice for today, my dude."

The man sighed. "I guess that's fair."

It was like Taako always said, why go the extra mile for-

"It's just," the man went on, completely disregarding Taako's internal monologue, "I haven't been around much these past months, but I wanted at least the holidays to be special."

Taako sighed. Alright, he was doing this. He still had half an hour for Lup's dinner. He sat down next to the coffee man and listened to his worries.

"I should've bought that three hundred dollar figure. I was put off by…"

"The price," Taako said.

"... the age limit," the coffee man said at the same time. "I mean, he's smart, but those ratings are there for a reason, you know?"

Taako nodded, trying really hard not to roll his eyes. Stupid rich people.

The coffee man stared at the ground, deep in thought. "... Maybe I can still make it to Goldcliff. The other clerk said they still had units over there, and it's only two hours away…"

"Woah."

"... So fours hours for the trip, plus another hour to get the toy-"

" _Dude_!" Taako yelled. He shook the coffee man's shoulders. "Listen, I don't know shit about being a dad, but I was a kid once, one who grew up without parents, and let me tell you, no toy in the world can make up for _being_ _there_. Trust me, the best gift you can give your little one is showing up early and spending the most magical night of the year _with_ him."

The coffee man stared at him, his eyes wide. "Yeah… yeah, you're right."

Taako got up and offered the man a hand, which he took awkwardly. It had been a weird day.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it, my man. Happy Candlenights."

They walked to the parking lot, and this time Taako let the coffee guy get in the first taxi. His last act of charity for the day.

***

Not to toot his own horn, but Taako was right: his presence should be present enough to Angus and everyone else at dinner. Clearly. He was a gift of a person.

Part of him still regretted not getting something, but he'd remember to shop in time for the kid's birthday. Or like, at least try. He told himself that as he stepped out of the taxi…

… and the coffee guy was standing in front of him.

They stared at each other for a moment.

"What are you doing here?" the man said.

"What are  _ you _ doing here?" Taako replied.

"I live here. Well, I live next door, but I have dinner with my neighbours tonight."

"Oh. That's funny."

The door to Lup's house opened, and a little fancy boy peered outside."

"Dad, you made it! Oh, good evening to you too, sir!"

The coffee guy looked between Angus and Taako. "You're the teacher."

"And you're the dad."

"Huh," the two of them said.

Angus approached them, an adorable smile on his face. "You're just in time! Mr. Barry is playing the piano for everyone." He reached them, then inclined his head to the side, noticing something was off between the two. "You know each other?"

"We do now!" Taako said, then extended his hands towards the coffee guy. "Taako."

The man smiled, and returned the gesture. "Kravitz."

They followed Angus inside while the kid talked about all the music, food, and good company waiting for them that night.

**Author's Note:**

> Taako and Lup celebrate on Candlenights Eve because they're latines and NOT because I forgot other cultures don't do that. (?)
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it!


End file.
